NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 3l 



on each fide: they are fomething larger than a moufe, but not 

 quite to big as a rat ; have very foft hair, and of different colours • 

 black, with yellow and brown in ftreaks, and fome in fpots' 

 Their eyes and ears are fmall, their teeth long and lharp. They" n. 

 muft multiply very fall by what we fee of them, th/fGod be 

 piaffed) but feldom ; i. e. about once or twice in twenty years 

 when they come from their peculiar abodes: at thefe times they 

 gather ,n great flocks together, cenfifting of many thoufands, 

 like the hofts of God, to execute his will; |, e. to punilh the 

 neighbouring mhabitants, bydeftroying the feed, corn, and grafs : 

 for where this flock advances, they make a vifible path-way on 

 the earth or ground, cutting off all that is green ; and this they 

 have power or ftrength to do till they reach their appointed bounds, 

 which is the fea, in which they fwim a little about, and then 

 link and drown. For longer than one year God does not fuffef 

 this Plague to be upon us, and then it only rages here and there 

 m certain dift-ra&s at a time *. It does not Iaft long, but in the 

 end, as it is faid, they have a natural tendency to drown them- 

 felves; or if this fail, they perifli by the Winter's cold: of 

 thole few that do efcape, die, as foon as they eat the new grafs • 

 for it does not agree with them. The Finlaps dogs devour many 

 of them eating all but their heads. From Kolens Rock, which 

 divides the Nordland manor from Sweden, and which is held to 

 be their peculiar and native place, they are obferved, when the 

 wandering fit comes upon them, marching in yaft flocks through 

 Nordland and Finmarck, to the weftern ocean ; and other bodies of 

 them through Swedilh Lapmarck, to the Sinus Bathnicus. They 

 do this, according to Hr. Linnams's account, in fucha dired line 

 that they will not turn on any fide, or make any fweep : and if 



ffiTrf rm ff *, kr S e <*? ne ' then they feek their line on 

 the other fide, and fo keep ftrait on. If they find a boat on any 

 freft i water river, they run m at one end, or fide, and out again 

 at the other u, order to keep their courfe. Their young theV 

 carry with them on their backs, or in their mouths. If they 

 once meet with the peafants tooppofe them, they will ftand un- 

 daunted and bark at them, like little dogs. From this circum- 

 ftance they are called by fome Lomhunde, and particularly, if 



* In Sogne Fiordens Fogderie, in this diocefs, it happens every third or fcnrrf, 

 year, that a few Lemen are feen here, yet but few, and cannot do leh ha™ There 

 is kept here alfo what isj named a Moufe feftiyal, once a year in ehi i rfS* * 

 put on their holiday deaths,' and inftead of workm? i'av themfr?™ V n 7 

 Th,s took its rife from a faft-day which was kept in formef'timeV to avel TftoJZZ 

 of Lemen and other Mice, which fome pretend have been ufed TO fill down fofe 

 from the clouds ; but of this I have no authentick account "^ 



any 





